a larger number of parties. Some are permanent minor parties that seek to influence the major parties, while others are ephemeral parties formed to give major-party candidates an additional line on the ballot. The total (active plus inactive) enrolment of the various parties in New York State is as follows, according to the New York State Board of Elections report of Enrolment by County dated 1 November 2020. Percentages are of the total with a declared affiliation. Each party will also have the equivalent increase or decrease to the results of 1 November 2016. Party balance in state legislatures Democrats hold a 54-seat supermajority in the Assembly, whose current speaker is Carl Heastie. They have been in the majority since 1975 and for all but five years since 1959. The Assembly has long been controlled by the Democrats, the Senate by the Republicans, and there was little change in membership in elections until those of 2008. As a result, decisions are taken when "three men in a room"—the Senate Majority Leader, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the Governor—agree. For many years the legislature was unable to pass legislation for which there was supposed to be a consensus, such as reforming the so-called Rockefeller drug laws. The Republicans controlled the State Senate from 1939 until 2009, with the exception of a brief period in 1965. However, in 2008, the Democrats won a narrow two-seat majority in the State Senate. Malcolm Smith of Queens became the new Senate Majority Leader, and he also doubles as acting Lieutenant Governor by virtue of David Paterson ascending to the governorship. Smith replaced Paterson as leader of the Democrats in the State Senate upon Paterson's election as Lieutenant Governor. The Minority Leader is Dean Skelos of Nassau County. After a brief period in June and July 2009 in which Republicans regained control of the chamber, Democrats chose Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx who flipped to the Republicans as their new Majority Leader in order to regain control. John L. Sampson of Brooklyn became the Democratic conference leader, while Malcolm Smith retained his position as President Pro Tempore, and acting Lieutenant Governor. While the Assembly's apportionment strongly favors New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, and the Capital District, the Senate's apportionment typically favored the more conservative Upstate. However, the Republicans have lost many Senate seats in recent years because of the aforementioned political realignments of the